Fateful Circumstances
by cherryinthebowl
Summary: Sugawara Shigemi begrudgingly followed her game addict boyfriend into Aincrad after he ditched their date for a dive on the grand opening day. She didn't expect herself to be trapped there in a fight for survival, or be the center of a love triangle or least of all, to encounter true love in the land where death in the game pronounced loosing one's real life. OCxOCxKirito


I have this story in my ipad for almost a year but never thought of uploading it here on It was only today that I decide to clean my story board in my ipad that the thought of deleting this fic completely, pop up in mind. So I try posting it here just in case it catches any of you SAO fans' interest. Let me know if you think this story is worth continuing. Also, I don't usually put my own work up for adoption so I prefer having a writing partner if my imagination comes to worst. So anyone out there who want to join me in writing this fic, give me a shout (pm). If this story should have no feedback at all, I might consider abandoning this one.

anyway, enjoy reading

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online**

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Sunday November 6th, 2022

Today was probably the fifth time that my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend ditched our date. He was an avid gamer who wouldn't even hesitate to stand up his newly acquired girlfriend just to be the first few people who get to log into the famous VRMMORPG game. Of course I was somewhat thankful to that fact because we got to meet through the beta testing period of this game. But I had my doubt about his change in behavior for these past two weeks. There was something fishy about him keeping a distance from me in real life and I was determined to find out whatever secret he had been hiding.

I tossed my very first cutesy handbag to the side of my bed. 'That bastard' how dare he to call off our date at the last minute. I wasted a fortune to buy these cloths. I even spent two hours on my hair alone! All that effort just to hear him compliment my look went down the drain. I felt my seething rage blew a steam out of my bright red ears as I shouted.

"Link Start!" The second I finished that command, I found myself launching through the rainbow loophole before finally arrived at the login platform. Given the choice of creating my avatar, I quickly browsed and recreated the old one I had during beta period. All the while doubting if my boyfriend would be using his old avatar.

"He must have. Or else his friends won't recognize him." I mumbled to myself as I finalized my character.

After another whirling experience through system gate, I landed in the starting city where there were lots of players loitering around. Some of them were at awe as they admired the city, no doubt experiencing the game's magnificent ambient. Some of them already conversing with NPCs, trying out weapons and armors before deciding to buy them or not. I quickly walked to the weapon stand where I bought my kodachis two months ago, thinking I should get my weapons ready just in case the urge of killing my boyfriend poked up when I found him.

"Gimme two of this, please" I said to the NPC who nodded to my request before he presented me with two mid length Japanese daggers from his inventory. My preferred weapons would be claws since they were attached to the arm guards, therefore, they were both weapons and armors. The claws were excellent choice of tools considering its wider range of mobility compared to other weapons. And it was categorized as dagger class, so there was little to no cool down time concerning the use of sword skill. But since the claws could only be obtained from the 8th floor quest, my ideal weapons would have to wait for now.

"You seem to know your way around here. You mind teaching me a bit?" A boy, no, a young man who looked to be in his late teenage years smiled at me playfully. At first I thought he was hitting on me but then I realized my avatar was not that cute compared to those walking idols around the two of us so I quickly discard the conceit thought.

"Sorry, I'm looking for someone. Maybe the next time we meet?" That last part wasn't really intended to be kept as a promise. It was just a more subtle way to say 'no'. But the guy kept his innocent smile plastered on his face as he chuckled lightheartedly.

"Oh, alright. I hope we meet again then."

'Hope not' I gave him a weird look as he started to creep me out with his foolish honesty. If his demeanor wasn't pretending, I'd want to know how he managed to survive in this virtual technology era.

The matter with the stranger aside, I couldn't find my boyfriend or any of his friends no matter where I look for them. So I decided to go and did some grinding for the time being, all the while feeling slightly guilty at rejecting to help that newbie. I should at least bring him along.

But what good would it do to form a party, especially with someone I met for the first time. All those girls during beta who I used to stick with before I met my boyfriend were hideous. I didn't mean their looks, of course. But the way they whined and even sometimes, cried, when they saw any of the party members got better drops or equipments than them. It was their usual trick to lure the male players into giving them, or buying them, some valuables. When it was all good and fine to do just that, some of the male players turned to others, namely weaker players or female players who weren't as cute, for extortion when they didn't want to spend their hard earn money on those bimbos.

"And so arise my trust issue." I grunted as I spotted a blue boar within my sight. I began running to the mob and stopped just before I reached it. The monster wasn't the brute type. Meaning it wasn't aggressive when it spotted a player nearby unless the player attacked it first. It was the lowest rank in all Aincard in terms of level so the non-aggressive behavior made a lot of sense to the first levels who tried to level up and getting use to in-game control.

Then again, if a player didn't attack it with the system assisted sword skill then there was little damage to be dealt. I sighed as I thought of my first day during beta testing, thinking back of how lost and useless I felt. The guilt of leaving that poor, naive guy behind came rushing back like a tidal wave.

"Grkkkk!" The blue boar screeched before it shattered into pieces after it received a multiple rapid cut to the side of its body. At my current level right now, I couldn't afford the counter attack from the boar. It would take only one hit to drain 20% of my HP bar since I put almost all Stat into Agility and a few into Strength so my only sure way to survive was through dodging and not heavy armors or ridiculously high HP. Killing monsters quickly also helped. And since Kodachis were daggers in this game, its cool down time after a sword skill was so short that it let a dagger user to prepare another skill within less than two seconds.

That was the case for one dagger.

In SAO, during beta months, there were quite a number of players who discovered the flashy way of fighting. In this case, fighting with both hands. Of course it was not an official sword skill. It was the style that some people came up with just for fun. But the discovery started there.

Coincidently, most of dual wielders were pick users or dagger users. The reason for this was probably due to their light weight and short bodies which allowed players to swish them around with considerable amount of comfort without cutting their own arms. But the fun did not end there. Some players took it to another level by trying to place sword skills into both hands. To my surprise, it worked. And if there was anyone who kept going at it like I did, they would probably find out that once they gain some proficiency in that style, an extra skill tree would appear in their skill menus. So here I was, trying to work back that extra skill so I could enjoy using claws again. It would work out nicely once I level up acrobatic skill but that was for later. For now, let's head back and find that big head I called boyfriend.

"No button?...No way, look a bit closer." A male voice rang somewhere to my left. There must be people behind that grassy slope. But what button were they talking about?

"It's really not there. You take a look, Kirito." Another voice chimed up. He sounded uneasy. I quickly checked my menu panel. Everything was up and running. My inventory, my stats and skills panel, my equipments, chat, party, guild, message GMs, then my hand froze.

'The log out button?' My stomach lurched at the thought of not being able to log out from the game. It felt like someone just poured the whole bucket of cold water onto my head. Maybe this was a bug? If I waited then the GMs would started logging off people who still stuck in this game. Anyway, I got to hear more of this or else I wouldn't be able to stay calm.

"Excuse me. I over heard your conversation just a moment ago. Are you guys talking about the log out button?" The two players looked at me with mild surprise. Before the one who wore a bandana made a small movement towards me.

"Yes, we are. We think it might be some bug since today is the first official run." The player stared blankly at me, waiting for me to continue (or maybe to leave them alone).

"Oh, sorry. How rude of me. My name is Kanon." I said, putting my hand out for some greetings before realized that my gesture might seem too formal in this situation. As I thought, the guy who was talking to me suddenly looked flustered as he reached out to grab my hand. The other guy who was sitting lifted his brows, not even bother hiding his surprise.

"My name is Klein. And that guy over there is Kirito." The other guy nodded as he stared back at me. He then turned to look at the evening sky at the edge of Aincard. What an unfriendly bloke.

"Any other way you think we could get out?" I immediately got to the point.

"Kirito suggested we waited for the GMs to announce for a solution. We still can't figure out any other way to get back to the real world though." Klein told me with a worried look on his face. I thought I heard him mumbled 'and I ordered a pizza which should be arriving at my door about ten minutes ago.'

Klein and I talked a bit more, leaving the emo guy all to himself. A few minutes passed and all three of us jolted in our spots as the chime rang inside our ears.

"Ah..." The guy called Kirito murmured

"What is that?" Klein turned around frantically

"For god's sake, trying to give me a heart attack." I mumbled the last part. I blamed it all on my boyfriend for making me so moody today. But before any of us could say anything more, we were enveloped by the blue light pillars. Teleportation.

I closed my eyes, expecting to wake up in my bed the next few seconds with a head gear still on my head. But what I saw was a stone paved road, medieval buildings, and a floating castle of Aincard. We were back in the central plaza of starting city.

I started to look around. If players were forced teleport here then that meant my boyfriend would be somewhere nearby. I left Klein and Kirito who stood not so far from my right to go and search for him. My feet came to a halt as I spotted a familiar male avatar, grinning and giggling stupidly...with another ridiculously good looking girl by his side.

"What the hell does this mean?" I appeared in front of the silly couple. The girl flinched away and hid behind my boyfriend's back at the murderous glare I sent her.

"Shigemi! I mean...Kanon. What are you doing here?" The male player paled as he turned to look at me.

"I'm here because you bastard stood me up at the train station. And here I found you cuddling with this shameless lolicon. You better explain to me now or I promise I'll send your sorry ass to the afterlife and back to kill you again." I growled in an extremely low tone, making sure that he believe every single word of it. People around the three of us began to stir as they sensed trouble brewing. My rage went up in leaps when I saw him put his arm out to guard the other female player behind him and my hands suddenly darted to the collar of his tunic.

"Ah! Look up!" He suddenly bellowed and pointed his finger to the sky. To hell if he thought I would fall for that. My fist quickly connected with his jaws, sending him rolling on the ground. Strangely, people didn't seem to move away from him. They were all rooted to the spots, faces turned towards the sky.

"Players, I welcome you all to my world." the gigantic red hood spoke in a hollow voice, about to pronounce the gravest news I had ever received in all my sixteen years of life.

~oO0Oo~

A few feet away from where Kanon and her boyfriend stood, a young man in his late teenage year was shaken with fear and confusion.

"A death game?" He heard a voice mumbled. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was the voice of his avatar. Under some certain circumstances and a promise with a friend in real life, he found himself experiencing online gaming for the first time in his life. With this beginner luck he had, he hit a jackpot and landed himself in the first real death game of the 21st century.

He looked around, witnessing despair and similar fear in players' faces. Then he spotted the girl he met earlier this afternoon while he was fooling around with the arm dealer NPC. Even with someone who seemed to have a good dose of experience with the game like her stood stunned after hearing the mad man's announcement. He couldn't really blame her, or any one else here for their current states. For even he didn't know what kind of face he was making at the moment.

As if the giant cloak could read his mind, it continued its outrageous speech.

"Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this."

He watched the girl's hand moved in front of her before something formed on her palm. A few moments later, her avatar began illuminating, before his followed in the same fashion.

Standing in her previous spot was no longer the plain looking girl who he had talked to before. But a girl with a long dark brown hair whose face was anything but plain. Her jaws line were well-defined even though she still had a round baby face. Her nose was not very high but it was not crook or flat either. Her eyes...they were so large that it made him wondered if she was a Japanese at all. For a girl without make up, she was plenty attractive.

But before he had a chance to admire her features any further, the innocent looking girl let out a maniac laugh, causing several heads to turn.

"Hahahaha, so this is the 'guy' you have been head over heels with for the past weeks? I didn't know you were into this trend. You should have told me, Hayato. I'm not such a narrow minded person to be against the idea of same sex relationship." The girl was almost topple over in her fit of giggles. Her boyfriend (or her ex?) looked back at the previously very adorable female partner behind him who had now turned into an oversized nerdy looking school boy. His handsome face turned paler by the minute as he kept starring at the supposed to be cute ex-female player.

"You! But you sent me your photos" he clearly whined, his trembling finger pointed at the chubby boy accusingly. The boy hastily stepped back and broke out running, leaving the ex-couple standing in stun. The scene was so comical it would make any bystanders laugh if not for the terrible event that just happened the moment before.

"Well,I guess that's it." The girl sighed as she turned to walk away.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Her (ex)boyfriend quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Isn't it obvious? It's over." She shrugged, not with anger but rather bored.

"But that was a dude. I wasn't serious with...that kid."

"Oh yeah? See if I care. Have a nice life, Hayato. If you can survive this game, that is." She snatched her wrist with a force that he thought she might sprain it if they were in real life. He watched her walked away with a mix feelings. How could she looked so satisfied with the outcome of their broken relationship when there was a more urgent matter at hand, namely surviving in this godforsaken game for example? Or was she so confident that she wouldn't die out there, beyond the safety of the city wall.

"Excuse me, you over there?" He rushed after her, doubting if she could guess who he was.

"Who are you?" Her tone was smooth and showed no hint of frustration at all. Only her light brown eyes that were narrowed as she stared directly back at him.

"I'm Zeal." He blurted out under her gaze. There went the plan to look cool. But since he was always goofy to begin with, why should he mind it now?

"Do we know each other?" She asked coldly.

"Guess we do, for a moment." He scratched the back of his head. It was getting awkward.

"Well, what can I do for you then?"

This was it! This was his only chance. He knew somehow if he let her go, he might never get to see her again. This was his only chance...for his own survival. "Can I go with you?"

"Huh?" She looked utterly surprised by the request. "You mean you want to form a party?" Her eyes narrowed even more.

"Erm...yes" was that what the gamers called it? A party?

She was studying him now. The glint in her eyes turned from one that was suspicious into mild curiosity.

"What is your preferred build?"

"Build?" He blushed at the thought of assessing his body type.

"Your preferred stats and skills." She said with a hint of annoyance.

"Err..."

"You don't know? Is this your first time with online gaming then?" She frowned.

"Yeah, what of it?" He bit his lips.

"Then I suggest you stay inside the city wall and wait until someone clear the game. Nothing can kill you here as it is a safe area, except that you'd be stupid enough to accept duel in the death match."

"You mean duel to death?"

"You catch up pretty fast." She nodded. "So do as you're told and stay safe."

"What about food? And where can I sleep?"

"Please go bother someone else with those details. I'm busy right now." She waved him away with the longest sighed he had ever heard.

"You're really mean, you know that? I thought you'd at least keep your promise with me." He pouted. Yes, pouting like a school boy despite his age. Worst of all, she didn't seem to care.

"What promise? I'm sure this is the first time we meet. And you're the one to talk about being helpful. You didn't even thank me after I made a suggestion that most likely will save your life." She turned, hands on her hips and clearly pissed.

"We've met this afternoon in front of the weapon shop. Anyway, will you let me tag along? I confess I'm not useful in combats but I'm confident in my supporting skills." He slurred his words in mild panic. Why was this situation made him feel like he was on a job interview?

"I thought this is your first time playing any type of MMORPG game?" She quirked a brow, looking at him with a slight interest.

"Let's say I have quite a bit of SAO in-game knowledge before we all got trapped here." He said, finally with a big grin on his face.

~oO0Oo~

"So you're saying...within one afternoon...you've already spent most of your money?" Kanon rubbed her temple as Zeal and she both walked out of northeast city gate, heading to the outer field where there were wolves waiting around. Zeal grinned sheepishly but said nothing in reply. His absurdly carefree attitude puzzled her greatly and it had ticked her off in the most frustrating way.

"ON WHAT?" She shouted, finally snapped.

"Aw, don't get angry. I did buy some impressive armors and bunch of potions. So at least I won't die easily." Zeal said with a hastily wave of his hands. "I won't drag your feet, of course."

At this, Kanon seemed to calm down somewhat. She cleared her throat to get her act together while trying to prepare both of them for the battle which laid a few hundreds feet away.

"And your weapon? What did you get?"

"Here!" Instead of telling her what he bought, Zeal held them out for her to see. Kanon paled at the sight of three picks on her partner's palm.

"Are you crazy? Why picks?" She bellowed. Her rage suddenly came crashing back in. Was this guy for real?

"I'm quite good with these in real life, adding the fact that I plan to be a potioneer. I only need to level up dexterity and that would be all that right?"

"No, it is not alright. Picks can't even kill a decent monster in this game." Kanon felt as if her legs were about to give in on her. "You can only fuse them with some potions to give monsters or players some temporary stats. Like stunning, bleeding, or blinding but you can't kill a thing with those alone."

"Yup, that's why I got you with me." He grinned, sighing with relief.

"ARE YOU INTENDING TO LEECH OFF OF ME?" She roared.

"Aw, aw, of course not. I'll help cure you and even paralyze the monsters for you so you can finish them faster and with much less risk. How does that sound?" Zeal was desperately trying to calm her down, unfortunately, with no result.

"Sounds incredibly unfair! Look, I'm the one who'd be risking my life here and you'll just sit around and gain everything. And what if you decide to run in the middle of the fight? No doubt I'd die right?" Kanon shot all this at him without taking a single breath. Her face resembled an oval shaped tomato as she glared daggers in his direction.

"Then how about I give you all the money and items. This way even if I run, you'd know I can't survive the life after that." He paused and looked at her seriously, silently begging for her trust.

Kanon went quiet at this too. She didn't trust him. That much was to be expected since they had just met. But to let her keep all the drop items and cols was a big decision too. Both of them were gambling at each other, with their lives and trust at stake.

"Fine then." Kanon moved her hand over the party menu, selecting to share only exp points and keep everything else to herself. "But if you're just going to stand and watch, then make sure to stay alive until the fight is ended." She said coldly before readied the kodachis in her hands and bolted to the nearest wolf without waiting for his reply.

~oO0Oo~

After a farming marathon of the next morning, Kanon managed to get both herself and Zeal half way through level four, with her exp somewhat higher than his since she was so gung-ho about leveling up when she logged into the game yesterday afternoon. Currently in Aincrad, it was sometime around noon. The two of them decided to go back inside the city area in order to find some food to calm their noisy stomachs.

Zeal looked around the city, watching most of its residents sat around lifelessly. Some was crying, the others mumbling or spacing out. No one was in the mood to look up at the two of them passing by.

"How long would people keep this up?" He asked no one in particular. But that sentence happened to catch Kanon off guard.

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "As long as they are in denial, they won't go out there and recklessly try to kill a monster." She nodded, seemingly satisfied with the situation at hand. "That thought could prove to be fatal because of their inexperience with the game. Anyways, that reminds me, how could you believe this is actually happening for real? Most people would not believe in what is currently happening and would choose to wait for help from the outside world." She asked, with a lowered voice as they passed a group of player who hurdled together in the back of an alley.

"Honestly, I don't want to believe in what that guy said." Zeal tensed at the thought of what happened yesterday. "But since there is still no help and I don't wanna risk dying just to prove that this isn't real, what other choice do I have?" He sighed dejectedly.

"You could always sit around. You don't really need to eat in this game though so long as you can ignore the feeling in your tummy."

"Can you do that?" He asked, not really wanting to hear the answer as he already knew it. Kanon didn't reply. Instead, she quickly approached the restaurant for their lunch. Zeal chuckled at the abrupt end of their conversation.

"You know if your attitude was to be as good as your look, no, even one ten of your look, I bet half of the guys in this game would surely chase you around." He said as they got a table near the windows. His hands flipped the pages of the menu with a speed that could rival a sword skills.

"What was that again? You don't need lunch?" Kanon glared at him over the menu which already hid half of her face behind it.

"Oh no, I was only thinking that you have such a strong character for a cute face." He quickly recovered. His hands supported his jaws as he openly stared at her face, secretly sighing at the narrow escape he had made.

The chance of involving himself romantically with this girl almost hit bottom zero.


End file.
